This invention relates to medicinal and therapeutic supports, and more particularly to comfortable supports to be worn about the body, namely the shoulders, abdomen, thorax, upper thigh or head, for antibiotic and other types of medicinal delivery systems, drainage receptacles, and medical diagnostic and monitoring equipment.
Often in the treatment of medical patients it may be required to provide continuous intravenous medicines to the patient, such as antibiotics, continuously. Often times, these intravenous medicines may be required even after the patient""s hospital stays are over. Additionally, sometimes patients require diagnostic or monitoring equipment that need to be attached to or in close proximity to the body most of the time. Most of the aforementioned apparatuses are attached to the body of the patient at various insertion points by intravenous tubes, electrical sensors, drainage tubes, etc., hereinafter generally referred to as xe2x80x9clines.xe2x80x9d Traditionally, these apparatuses have been required to be supported by a xe2x80x9cjohnny polexe2x80x9d including a support hook at one end and wheels at the other so that the patient can drag along the pole and attached medical apparatuses with them wherever they go. Needless to say this arrangement can be awkward and inconvenient for the patient, and sometimes can result in longer than necessary hospital stays.
For this reason it is generally preferred that these apparatuses be attached and supported on the body of the patient so that the need for the awkward and unwieldy xe2x80x9cjohnny polexe2x80x9d can be eliminated. Furthermore, if at all possible, it is desired that the medical apparatus be supported at or close to the insertion point of the medicinal intravenous tubes, the diagnostic apparatus sensor, the drainage tubes, etc. in order to limit the possibility of the tangling or interferences of the lines as they are usually held in place delicately. Additionally, entanglement with the wearer, the wearer""s clothes, etc., is also an undesirable condition that should be avoided.
In the past, in a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to eliminate the need for a johnny pole, it was common to pin or tape the medical apparatuses to clothing worn by the patient or to the bandage or the incision itself. While not very comfortable, this procedure was somewhat effective in helping out the patient, especially while the patient was in the hospital where an open gown was worn, thereby easing the ability of the patient to accommodate basic bodily functions. However, the awkwardness and discomfort is increased with multiple sets of apparatuses and the related lines. In addition, outside the hospital, where patients wear standard, relatively constricting clothes, it is not practicable to use the prior art pinning and taping methods to support the apparatuses. As mentioned above, other problems arise from the entanglement of the lines. For example, these lines are generally connected to the apparatuses with an ample amount of xe2x80x9cslackxe2x80x9d so that they will be usable in varying applications by patients of differing sizes and shapes. However, the extra length of the lines can become easily entangled with the wearer, the wearer""s clothing, etc., especially when several apparatuses are being used. While several attempts have been in the past to resolve some of these noted problems, these attempts have achieved only moderate success.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,233 to Turner attempts to address some of these problems specifically with respect to drainage receptacles providing a single large pouch to be worn on a belt which extends about the waist of a post operative patient to support a fluid drainage receptacle. The pouch of that device includes a pouch extension and an elongated loop of fabric which receives the belt and supports the pouch so that the pouch opening hangs down below the belt and deflects in an angular position when the lip of the pouch is pulled away from the wearer, thereby allowing easy access to the interior of the pouch.
While the Turner patent resolves some of the problems associated specifically with prior art post operative drainage receptacle supports, it is not generally effective for other devices. Specifically, while the apparatus disclosed in the Turner patent is acceptable for some drainage receptacle support situations, it is generally ineffective for supporting an intravenous medicinal supply. This particularly true if the insertion point of the intravenous line is above the waist of the patient.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a lightweight support device for medical apparatuses to be worn by post operative patients which comfortably secures the apparatuses against a wearer, a support device which eliminates the prior art need for an unwieldy support device such as a johnny pole, a support device which can be worn under clothing, a support device which facilitates the operation of the apparatuses, a support device which prevents line entanglements, a support device which holds the apparatuses in a desired, operational position, a support device which may be used with apparatuses of varying sizes and shapes, a support device that can be positioned above the insertion point of an intravenous line, and a support device which can be positioned in a manner to avoid tangling and stress on the related apparatus lines.
The present invention is a medical apparatus support system which may be used to securely support a number of medical apparatuses, including medicinal delivery systems, drainage receptacles, and medical diagnostic and monitoring equipment and the like, and can be worn comfortably on the body of a medical patient such that the need for an unwieldy support device such as a johnny pole is eliminated. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides an intravenous medicinal support device that can be worn on the shoulder of a patient above the insertion point of the intravenous line in order to provide gravitational assistance to the flow of the medicine. In all embodiments, the present invention includes at least one adjustable belt and at least one pouch shaped to receive a medical apparatus. For one preferred embodiment disclosed herein, a shoulder belt and specially adapted pouch including a feature to help insure the operational positioning and security of an intravenous supply bag or other medical apparatus in the pouch is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a pouch extension and arm straps are included to provide further support for the medicine supply bag and the intravenous drip reservoir. Of course the pouches for holding the apparatuses in accordance with the present invention may be constructed in many different ways, and can include a side panel or gusset so that the pouches may comfortably receive larger sized apparatuses. Preferably, the pouches and other supports of the present invention are made from a lightweight, non-abrasive, washable fabric having padding positioned between the apparatus and the body of the wearer.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a flap of fabric or other suitable material is affixed near the exit point of the intravenous bag, preferably on a pocket extension, to support an auxiliary device, such as an intravenous drip reservoir. The flap is secured to the pocket extension to form a hinge and includes one element of a releasable closure, such as a snap, a button, strips of hook and loop material or the like, affixed to the free end of the xe2x80x9chinge.xe2x80x9d The other element of the releasable closure is then affixed to one side of the pouch extension thereby enabling the flap to form a loop when the flap is releasably fastened to the other side of the pouch extension. The loop can then be used to support the intravenous drip reservoir, thereby preventing the reservoir from putting stress on the medicinal supply bag. Similarly, the loop can be used to secure excess slack from the intravenous line tube or diagnostic line from a diagnostic apparatus, thereby lessening the possibility that the lines will become entangled with the wearer, door handles of other objects.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a medical apparatus support system which may be used to securely support a number of medical apparatuses, including medicinal delivery systems, drainage receptacles, and medical diagnostic and monitoring equipment and the like, that can be worn comfortably on the body of a medical patient. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.